Velvette watched as the lights of Hell danced across the windows of the limo Edwin had guided her into.

'Get a hold of ya self,' she mentally scolded. She was here to seduce him, to get him to be her little pet that came when she wiggled her fingers. To make Hell's Newest Overlord into the proper ally that was addicted to her. Yes, they would be allies… that was the ultimate goal. To have Edwin at minimum agree to assist the Vees and, if she did things right, have him fully join them. Not a name change but still a part of them. That's what Vox certainly wanted and its what Velvette wanted too. Plus… he wasn't bad to look at. Muscular in all the right spots but not the looming slab of meat that so many demon males ended up as. He was… well, he was like lumberjack.

But a well dressed one. One that had managed to make it rich.

His Sinner form didn't detract from him either. That was a problem with a lot of demons: maybe they had been sexy on Earth but down in hell they were utterly twisted. Velvette had certainly lucked out there, with her having a more 'doll' like form but being able to hide the more tale tell signs. It was part of her appeal, why she was so popular. With Edwin he had that wild beast man look but… tamed. Cultured. His face still human. His body still human. Just a bit more hair in spots and claws that she could tell he kept nice and trimmed.

'Fuck, I wanna see what he can do pushin' me up against a wall,' she thought to herself. It would be quite a treat, she could tell. Especially because if there was one fetish Velvette had, one thing that really got her motor running and purring… it was control. Being able to take the strongest of the strong and reduce them to nothing. It was why whenever she did a takedown of some fool and saw later them sobbing on Sinnergram about how their lives were ruined she go to her room, set all her notifications to vibrate, and then shove her phone in her pants and let her eager fans Alert her to orgasm.

Getting Edwin Cerberus to crawl on his hands and knees and lap at her junction like a good little puppy then send him out to torture some fools as she cleaned the cream from her thighs? Oh, that is EXACTLY what Velvette wanted. To shut the smug bastard who had mocked her 'cheap fucks' right the hell up.

'And I can only do that if I get my head back in the game!' she thought to herself.

He had won the first round. He had given her a present, had shown off his power… and had managed to startle her with the Garden Tour. And his power…

'Vox said that he was single though. No reports about him going to any clubs, no Sinners seen leaving the hotel… I'd think maybe he was fuckin' the Princess but she's been full on Rug Muncher for so long I doubt she knows just what ta do with a cock if she saw one.' She considered perhaps he was fucking Angel Dust but if that were the case Valentino would have known and he hadn't said a word to her yet about it. So not that. And from what her and Vox had gathered about the others none of them were close enough to Edwin other than that demon Aria… and he treated her like a little sister. 'And some might be fucked up enough to go for that twisted route but he don't seem the type.'

So. He was unattached. Single and ready to mingle, as the old and outdated saying went.

And Velvette had lost her train of thought.

She growled only for Edwin to turn and stare at her.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she said with a smile. "Just realized how I could have fixed an editing problem on one of my videos. Annoyed I didn't think of it sooner." The lie rolled off her tongue so easily even SHE believed it. Maybe there had been an issue she had fixed…

"You edit your own videos?" Edwin asked, his tone making it clear he was actually interested. Not the fake "I want to get you talking about yourself so I can set up a chance to woo you" thing so many did. He actually sounded interested. "I assumed you had a team for that."

"I do but I make sure that I get the first crack at it and then they work everything out before I do the final pass. That way it always has my fingerprints on it."

"Huh… that's smart," Edwin said. "Guess its no different than my jewelry. When I make a piece I want people to not wonder what intern looking for college credit half-assed it before they went trotting off to bum some weed from the whites white boy they could find. That it was made by me and they know they are getting an Edwin Cerberus original."

Velvette nodded at that, pleased that he seemed to actually get it.

"People think what you do is easy," Edwin continued on. "They see your videos and go, "Fuck, I could do that". Except… if it was so easy… they WOULD. Its not."

"Well, for them it isn't," Velvette said as she reached back and flicked some of her hair. "For me though-"

"Its not," Edwin said, cutting her off. She shot him a dark look and he held out his hand. "Don't diminish your work. You put in time and effort. I'm more impressed with that than you magically waving your hand and putting out viral hit after viral hit. I respect hard work."

Velvette sniffed. "I was going to say its easy for me because I love doin' it. Others… they think that they can do it because they see me handling it but they don't realize that I love the work. Don't make me out ta be some martyr… ain't findin' me fuckin' dying on some digital cross. I do all this because I love doin' it."

"Fair enough," Edwin said, conceding the point.

'And point for me,' Velvette thought with a smirk.

She got out of the limo feeling like she was on much more solid ground. She'd embarrassed him by taking his little attempt to talk down to her and making it something that was empowering for her. A delightful little exchange and one she planned to build on. Velvette needed Edwin to begin seeing that she was the one in control and he needed to begin listening to her.

The restaurant was empty when they arrived, which was a bit strange as Velvette was used to places as grand as the one they would be eating in being full of people. The quiet clicking of utensils on plates, the murmur of conversations, the occasion burst of sound when the doors to the kitchen swung open. All of it was gone. Light music was playing, most likely from speakers; lofi, which had always been some of Velvette's favorite when it came to focusing. And yes… she needed to focus on this.

"Edwin!" a hellhound called out and Edwin at once moved to her, smiling politely. "Thank you for letting me do this for you."

"Not a problem. This is Velvette, though I imagine I don't actually need to introduce her."

'Slick,' Velvette thought to herself.

"Velvette, this is Bianca. She's going to be opening The White Plate out of Hazbin."

"I'd stick around and talk but I want to get your food ready." She motioned towards the dining area where one table had clearly been set up as theirs. "Wait staff has all the information, Edwin."

"Thank you."

"Information?" Velvette asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I let them know how tonight would be going, so they aren't startled. Give us some privacy." They sat down and were given menus by a waiter, Velvette ordering a wine and Edwin a glass of water before the waiter left to get them some appetizers. The moment he left for the kitchen the jackal on Edwin's shoulder leapt off and raced around the room, shimmering blue magic following him and wrapping the entire space. It suddenly felt like they were dining in the middle of a galaxy, with the stars glowing all around them.

"Oh… that's a nice trick," she said as she lightly ran one of her nails along the table. "It serve a purpose or just a cheap show?"

"Purpose," Edwin said, not at all offended by her comment. "Jackie can seal off any room. No cameras, no intruders, no eavesdroppers. Jackie will let the waiter in with everything but we can enjoy ourselves without worrying."

That made Velvette chuckle as she looked at him with a sharp gaze, her lip curling up a bit to show off her fangs. "Private booking, privacy magic, and even a guard dog. Someone would say that you're bein' a bit paranoid." She leaned forward a bit, purposely letting him get a chance to look at her cleavage. "You think someone is out ta get ya?"

"Everyone is out to get everyone in Hell," he replied smoothly. "I learned that lesson very early on. Thankfully it didn't cost anything. Cost someone else."

"Oooh. That's a story, ain't it?"

"Let's just say the person that tried to fuck me over, thinking I was some rube just come from the farm to the big city… learned that it wasn't wise to tangle with me."

"Not gonna tell me the name?" Velvette asked and then, when he opened his mouth… she waved him off. "Nah, I'm not gonna press ya. Don't want ta tell me, that's fine."

It was another power play move. One she'd used many times, even on Vox and Valentino. They would not want to tell her something and she would act like she didn't care. If they gave in she found out. If they didn't she would sniff it out… but she would also diminish their power in holding that over her head.

"So… that it then? Worried about someone causing a scene? Because I would have thought after that little show you pulled off with that Imp you wouldn't mind some displays of… power." She flicked her tongue against the back of her front teeth, flashing him a teasing, beguiling smile.

Edwin though merely smirked right back. "Less to do with the power players and more to do with the general public."

"Thus small fries?" Velvette asked. "You ain't one of them demons that worries 'bout the imps and the like risin' up, are ya?"

"I considered it purely from an intellectual standpoint, like puzzling over a what if. There are people worried about that?"

Velvette rolled her eyes. "Some of the older ones get nervous 'bout them. That's why they play fair with the Ars Goetia. The Princes… they do whatever the fuck they want and they don't mess with us because we're Lucifer's. Every prince has their subjects, after all. And we can't go dirtying up their Rings so they let us have ours. The best ring of course but still. But the Ars… they like having their armies. Leaders of this many battalions of Hell and all that rot."

"They don't strike me as ones to actually fight," Edwin said as the waiter entered into the room pushing a cart, not even reacting to the star barrier. Placing a glass of wine near Velvette and Edwin's water glass within reach he set down two plates before retrieving a basket of bread, some puffs with what looked like garlic spread, and some small little meat stacks stabbed with toothpicks. Edwin waited until the waiter was gone before continuing; oh, he was cautious. "I mean… maybe they hire a few demons to do their dirty work but from my experience they tend to see even that as beneath them."

Velvette nodded, taking a sip of her wine, licking her lips; very good vintage. Very good. "Yeah, you're friends with Stolas, ain't ya?"

"We shared a mutual interest in stars and the like. I got the sense he was more interested in chatting with me than I was with him and I found him a good conversationalist. Between you and me… he seemed lonely."

Velvette raised an eyebrow at that even as she snagged one of the meat skewers and nibbled on it. "Careful there, ya should know that nothing is off the record with me." He reached up to rub his mouth and Velvette counted that as another point for herself. "But your right… those bird brains hate dealing with the stuff we 'lower creatures' are always concerned about. They think it is uncivilized. Doesn't stop them from hiring people to do their work but that's different in their view."

"You hear that Striker disappeared?" Edwin asked suddenly.

"He wot?" Velvette asked.

"He disappeared. Imp bounty hunter and assassin-"

"Know who he is," Velvette said dryly, taking another sip of wine. "Surprised you do. Lookin' ta off someone?"

"Opposite," Edwin said. "I was going to put a reverse bounty on myself." When Velvette just stared at him he elaborated. "Basically pay him to accept no contracts against me. That I'll pay him NOT to kill me. I figure its easy cash for him and he can let me know which asshole decided to take a swing at it." Velvette had to admit that was a clever idea. It was like life insurance but with bounty hunters. "Problem is he disappeared. Far as I know one day he was walking out of a bar, there was a flash of light… gone."

~MC~MC~MC~

Striker growled as he held up his guns, glaring at the man before him. He wasn't exactly sure WHERE he was but he knew it wasn't Hell. The air was too clean, too pure. It was like he had stuck his head in some pink bubble bath. It was most likely because of the massive forest that surrounded them, so full of life. Not that he had a problem with life but to go from stepping out a saloon that smelled of piss, old beer, and sweat to something so clean was a shock to his system.

He had just been gathering his bearings when he had spotted the second figure, both of them going for their guns. Striker drew his pair of Carmine Last Man Standing Customed Angelic Revolvers. The stranger drew a single golden revolver that resembled a coiled serpent while his other hand pulled out a golden dagger which he twirled around his fingers.

Striker took the time to look over the man. He was dressed in a long brown coat, with a bluish black plaid shirt, dark blue jeans, and a pair of cowboy boots. A red bandana with golden lines on it hung around his neck and he had a well worn and loved Stenson on his head. His face was covered in a thick dark blonde beard that framed his stern mouth.

Oh… and both his eyes had been replaced with golden relics that looked vaguely Egyptian in design.

"Well… what do we have here?" the stranger drawled. "Someone tryin' ta get on my bounty?"

"I just ended up here," Striker said, a touch surprised he sounded so similar to the other man. Not the same but they did have the same gravelly voice. "No idea where the fuck here is."

"A village, hidden among the leaves," the man said. "And they got power here… power I want."

Striker slowly made a show of lowering one of his guns. "I ain't lookin' for trouble. I just took a wrong step and ended up here. No reason we need ta delay each other…"

The other man considered him for a moment. "Bounty hunter?"

"I am. You?"

"I am." He put his gun away and Striker did the same. "Sorry… can't trust folks… but I see you are one that will stick to his word. You swear you ain't here ta plug me… and I'm good with that."

Striker considered that before holding out his hand. "Deal." The other man shook it. "Striker."

"Wyatt… Wyatt Chaos."

"Don't suppose ya know how I got here?" Striker asked, looking about. "Or at least where here is?"

"This is one of the hidden Ninja Villages," Wyatt informed him. "Train children to be ninjas and… do ninja stuff." He scoffed. "Pathetic, if ya ask me. Don't make children do a man's work." Striker didn't comment on that, only waited for Wyatt to continue on. "As for how… if I had ta guess I'd say a portal of some kind between worlds. They tend ta happen… its how I move about." He pulled out a small ring from around his neck. "Not mine though… and don't feel like another item. But someone or somethin' brought ya here."

"Wonderful," Striker mumbled.

Wyatt though was looking at Striker's guns. "Be honest, hunter ta hunter… how good's ya shot? You focus on just unloadin' clips or ya a one shot and ya done?"

"One shot, lest the prey is sneaky."

Wyatt slowly nodded at that. "I'm goin' after a boy with a Nine-Tailed Fox shoved up in his belly. Gonna cut it out and see if I can't use it for myself. If'n I can't… well, plenty of people willin' ta buy something like that."

"Ya lookin' for help?" Striker asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can do it," Wyatt replied. "But… if ya help me we can get it done quicker… and go after a few more. Least 9 of them bastards in their world. If work for me then it can work for ya… send ya back ta your world with a power boost. And if not we can sell'em and I can put ya in touch with some smiths that can make ya real weapons."

Striker bristled a touch at that. "These are Angelic Steel."

Wyatt casually drew out his gun, making sure never to put his finger by the trigger. "This here is forged from 99 dead souls and powered by a dark god." He gestured at his eyes. "Same with these. I'm on the hunt for more god killer weapons myself… angels go down quick and I can take down weaker gods but after one mishap…" He growled low. "I need either the power ta beat some dwarven weapons or get one of my own."

Striker slowly considered that. While Angelic Steel was powerful if there was something… meater, something that would allow him to rise up in Hell's ranks…

"The dwarven stuff?" Wyatt said. "And my Millennium Items? They are bonded ta me. Can't ever leave me." He threw the gun and then held out his palm… and the gun suddenly appeared once more. He holstered it even as Striker let out a whisper. "Well?"

"…I got time, I reckon," Striker said.

And the multiverse shuddered at a team up that would rock the powers of a thousand dynasties.

~MC~MC~MC~

"You know…" Adam said as he licked his fingers, utterly delighting in the spread the Greek goddesses had put out, "…if Lute weren't here this could be a double date!"

Lute glowered at Adam. While they had always butted heads when it came to handling certain things their relationship had been for the most part rather solid. They worked together to kill fucking demons and then they went and trained badass women to kill MORE demons. Sometimes they stopped to cuddle the dinosaurs in heaven but that was just good fun. They knew each other's needs and worked together to see them done.

Yes, at times Adam completely lost the point. At times he was far too crude and disgusting. At times he treated things without a care and other times he was way too focused on minor slights. It was fine though. No different than how at times Lute let her rage and thirst for violence lead her to get too intense. How she held grudges and that prevented them from being able to make the easy choices because she refused to work with the weaker and lesser people that had committed the sins of annoying her. And perhaps she was a bit too high strung.

But… they worked together just fine.

"I mean, I'm not choosey," Adam said as he waved a chicken bone at Selene. "But I'm thinking since your sister and my Best Angel Forever Adam here know each other they would love to get their fucking freak on while I show YOU… why I am the first man." He chuckled at that before giving her a saucy look.

But ever since Odion had shown up Lute had found herself wondering if it might not be better to do what Adam's exes hadn't had the guts to do and Loraine Bobbit him.

"You know originally they were going to call the penis an 'Adam'? But, well, Eve didn't like that for some reason so we went with the Adam's Apple being named after me. Ya know, because only women have them and it represents Eve sucking down my First Man Splooge."

Tea, Lute, Selene, and Odion all looked at each other.

"What?" Adam said.

"Women don't have Adam's Apples," Selene said slowly.

"Uh, yeah, they do!" He scoffed. "Big ol' ones. All the fine ladies I like ta fuck when I sneak down from Heaven to hit up earth-"

"What, what?" Lute said, twisting and staring right at Adam.

"-have huge Adam's Apples!"

Tea just looked at Adam before gesturing at his throat.

"…that's a birthmark," he said before chuckling. "Stupid bitches not know what birth marks are. That's why you have Adam's Apples!"

Lute fought the urge to hold her head in her hands and scream.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Adam said to Lute. "Listen, if you're upset about the double date thing I have no problem with you watching us. Actually that might make things even better. We can all take turns being the Odd Man Out. Sometimes that's the best role in the orgy!"

"Adam," Selene said with a smile. "I think-"

"Yeah yeah, if you wanna be first watching that's fine. I get it. You are the eldest so you might need to rest up before hand. Not that you can tell you are the oldest… that is one kick ass bod you have, Seleney." He let out a wolf whistle. "I mean, if you came to me with some forbidden fruit I wouldn't be able to eat it because I'd be too easy eating you out."

"Adam!" Lute hissed.

"What? I bet she tastes like peaches! She looks like a peach kinda girl."

"Adam…" Lute said again.

"You're more of a lime, I think. Not quite a lemon but-"

Lute threw down her napkin and stormed out.

"What? You on your time of the month? I didn't even think you had those!"

Lute continued on without thought. For several hours she just roamed the palace of the Moon Goddesses, snapping and snarling at… well, no one. And that was the worst part because she wanted to scream at someone. To attack them. To tear them into pieces. But the attendants were no where in sight and Selene and Tea weren't chasing after her.

She had wanted them to chase after her.

She wanted them to come after her, thinking this was the perfect time to try and pull whatever… whatever fucking plan they were plotting! The bath. The bath had been them trying to lock their claws into her and they…

…they hadn't.

At all.

Lute's face twisted up in anger and with a snarl she spun on her heels and marched to the rooms she had been told were Selene and Tea's chambers. Not even bothering to knock the angel threw open the doors, finding the two getting ready for bed. They were wearing, of all things, soft off-white pajama tops and bottoms; not at all the glamourous gowns of see through cloth that Lute would have expected. They looked at her in surprise, the younger one, Tea, slowly standing up from where she had been running her hands over the bed.

"Lute? Is there a problem?"

"Is… is there a problem?" Lute rasped. "Is there a problem?!"

"…is there?" Tea repeated.

"Is there a problem?" Lute began to pace the room. "This was supposed to be a quick and easy meeting. Yes, you arranged for several days and I knew that but I thought we'd be able to leave! And… and then you do that weird thing to me in the bathroom, leaving me all flustered but then doing nothing I expected! And Adam is only talking to Odion and he's not listening to me! I… I did so much for him! So much! I ripped the wings off the woman I love and stabbed out her eye on his order and he couldn't even give me a pat on the fucking shoulder! But if his precious Odion wanted a hug he would do it and call it the most manly thing in the fucking world! And he always talks down to me and treats me like shit even though I am one of his strongest fighters and the only one that is taking any of this fucking seriously! He talked about my fucking PERIOD and he didn't even come find me after I left dinner and I didn't get anything to eat and I'm hungry now because it smelled really good but I hardly got any and… and…"

A hand dropped on her shoulder.

Lute turned and saw Tea staring at her with soft, gentle eyes.

And no one was more surprised than Lute as she slowly dropped to the ground and began to cry.

Not sniffle. Not little hiccups. A full on crying fit. Hugging her legs, rocking back and forth, wailing like an infant. Selene brought over a blanket to wrap her up and then there was a plate of fruits and Lute managed to take a few bites but she was still shaking as she sobbed. Tea and Selene sat down next to her and even though they weren't touching her she still felt the comfort.

"…why didn't you want me?" she said in a pathetic little voice, so sad and miserable for a moment she didn't even realize it was her own.

"Because," Selene said softly, tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear, "you weren't ready."

And then she effortless lifted Lute up and carried her to the bed, setting her down. The goddesses removed her boots and undid the wrappings on her wrists and ankles before carefully pulling the covers around her. Lute reached out and grabbed Tea's arm, staring at her with puffy red eyes.

The goddesses smiled and moved to lay on either side of her, careful once more not to touch her.

Lute… grabbed their hands and held on for dear life.

~MC~MC~MC~

"So… you never did answer my question." Velvette asked as she looked over at Edwin, who had just bitten into a bread stick. "Why all the privacy?"

"Because for once I don't feel like being a dancing money for all the peons."

"You?" Velvette said, raising an eyebrow. "You don't like the spotlight?" She ignored the jab about the 'dancing monkey'. Didn't even comment on it. There was no reason to, in her opinion. "You made quite a big deal about grabbing it a few days ago. Or were you surprised when you summoned several million souls and had them all bow to you?"

Edwin though merely sighed. "That… served a purpose."

"Which was?"

"Letting Hell know they couldn't harm those under my protection," he replied before taking a sip of his water. She still found it odd he wasn't drinking and she made a mental note to add that to her list of questions to grill him about. There had to be a story there. "I didn't want to do it. Had no desire to."

"Oh come on!" Velvette said with a laugh, her eyes sparkling in delight. "Don't lie to me… you loved it."

"I've been an overlord for at least a month."

That caused Velvette's smile to drop slightly.

"That's being conservative. It might have been two months, actually." He selected one of the garlic pastries and popped it in his mouth, chewing it thoughtfully. "I gained nothing declaring my status. In fact I've lost a bit. I can't walk down the street easily. I can't do simple things without everyone whispering and gossiping. If we were having this date in a regular restaurant we would be swarmed with fools wanting pictures and pointing at us. Dancing Monkeys."

But Velvette shook her head. "Nah… I don't buy it." She leaned forward once more. "I saw it in your eyes when you were takin' out them imps and Sharks… you loved it. The carnage. The destruction. And more than that… you loved that everyone was watchin' ya. That was gettin' ya off."

"And making life more difficult," Edwin said. "Don't get me wrong… the power is lovely. The standing. But… well, there is a quote I love: I got too big, Dorin, too noise. Time to step back into the shadows. That's what I am trying to do now. Find a way back into the shadows."

Velvette found herself scoffing. "I don't get it. I just don't."

They were interrupted by the waiter bringing over the menus.

'What really is your purpose, Edwin?' Velvette thought to herself. 'Why are you so desperate to avoid the lime light… there must be a reason. And when I find it… then I will be one step closer to WINNING.' Because Velvette knew… she knew… this was a battle between the two of them. A clash with words rather than swords. And she was going to defeat him. She was going to make him fall.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Edwin… Cerberus," Malik Ishtar said as he sat upon his throne, his loyal followers bowing before him.

Once he had been a man… now he was a demon, though he didn't see himself as that. No… when he had first seen his features upon arriving in the Underworld he had known… he was the newest vessel for Anubis himself. Reborn a god as payment for his grand worth in Life. It was why he had worked to find the damned souls around him and begun the task of preparing them to enter into the Field of Reeds.

In the past those unworthy of the peace the Field would bring were faced Ammit, their hearts consumed and dying a second death, stuck in the Duat forever. It was clear that those before him had suffered such fates but… why must their souls be wasted? Ammit had fed on their hearts and she was satisfied but was it not possible for one to make amends? To seek redemption and forgiveness? To serve?

As the new lord of the underwold, as the new God of the Dead, Malik had taken it upon himself to help those that wished for a second life. A second chance. Those that did not would suffer. There was something… Angelic Steel… that could kill a soul for a third and final time. He sought this out, planning already the sacrifices he would make. His power allowed him to steal the lives of the unworthy and give them to the faithful… and when he had enough Angelic Steel he would metal it down and take the souls of 99 of the most vile, disgusting, horrible beings in all of the Underworld… and use them to create something new.

HIS Millennium Items.

He was already considering what shapes they would take and how they would serve the Pharaoh. The Millennium Staff, based upon the staff he had ripped from his own back upon awakening in the Underworld. The Millennium Knife, representing the blade used to carve into his own flesh the Knowledge of the Tombkeepers. Five more he would need but there would be time to decide that later.

There was something else that mattered.

Edwin Cerberus.

He held… a Millennium Item.

He had died and taken it with him.

He had STOLEN from the Pharaoh.

Malik raised his hand and his selected servants rose up.

"Bring me the Millennium Key," he declared. "Bring it to me… and the still living soul of Edwin Cerberus."

He… would be the first of the 99.